Lion's Eye Castle

On the northeastern coast of Elone, overlooking the city of Ortoise, sits a massive stone castle. Built in the Elven architectural style, and thus resembling Camor Keep more than any Geltic fortress or castle, Lion’s Eye Castle is named after the four golden lion statues that are perched atop its battlements.  

A Castle Fit for a King

Lion’s Eye Castle is large and gaudy, more so than perhaps any other castle in Totania. It appears to be built to be imposing and visible for leagues, rather than being particularly defensible (though it can still hold out against assaults, as all castles are meant to). Its gates are magnificent, large enough to fit elephants through, and its walls are curved to prevent anyone from scaling them.   The dark stone that makes up the walls contrasts heavily with the golden lions on the battlements. There are four large lions looking out over each corner (where guards are always stationed, watching over the walls), as well as two small statues over the gate and one at the north end of the castle, looking out towards Ortoise.   A large basement level exists underneath the castle, lined with numerous cells to hold the prisoners of the castle's lord. The bleak stone of the castle lets in very little light down there, making the cells particularly miserable.   A throne room is found within the central keep, with lion carvings and Nerifir symbolism throughout the hall. Many of these are covered by the red and blue banners and symbols of the Lioneyes family, though the golden lion remains a symbol of the ruling family of this castle. The throne itself is made of gold, with light blue cushions and a lion statue curled underneath to intimidate those who might approach the seat.   A graveyard surrounds the castle walls, and the soldiers who die in Ortoise and the rest of the region are buried there with honors. The Lion's Eye graveyard likely has the largest amount of Geltic soldiers buried around it, and serves as the largest military burial site in the kingdom.  

Construction

There are different stories of how Lion’s Eye Castle was built. Each share a few common threads, particularly the involvement of the Elven King Guldin Nerifir and his army during or after the War of the Exilés.   Captain Commander Narkard Leran claims it was built by the Structure Mage, who the Elves captured prior to its construction, as an outpost during the Exilé Genocide. As it was right outside of Ortoise, it served as an outpost for the High Elven siege of the city, and served as housing for King Guldin Nerifir and his top officers (as well as, most likely, his family, as he brought at least his wife on most of his military expeditions).   Guldin Nerifir had a slightly different story, as he claimed he housed his soldiers in the castle while he “slept out in the cold of the Eastern Reaches.” As with most tales of Guldin being a man of the people, this is almost certainly untrue, as there is a room within that has “Nerifir” carved into the door in Elvish, which was clearly his bedchamber.   An Elven defector named Minokas, who fled the Elven army during the genocide after refusing to take part in the detestable acts of The Elven Guard, wrote in his history of the event, titled “The Truth of Ortoise”, that:

”There was no castle. Not when the siege started and I had fled. There was talk of building one, but I can’t say with any certainty that it was finished by the time the Exiles were exterminated. The Nerifir state’s position is, of course, that it was completed. A lie in favor of the official narrative, but it is just that: a narrative. History will tell you differently.”

— Minokas, The Truth of Ortoise

Whatever the case, the castle certainly existed in 147 when Leopold "the Lusty" Lioneyes seized it as his own seat of power, and when in the period of 118-123 (the War of the Exilés) it was built matters very little. Despite its history as an Elven stronghold, the Lioneyes family has repurposed all lion imagery in the castle for their own family.  

The Town of Guld

Below the castle, on the coast, sits a small town called Guld. This town supplies the castle with most of what it needs, from crops and livestock to blacksmiths and cobblers. It is an unremarkable town otherwise, but when its citizens are in danger, they are welcomed into the castle walls and given refuge within.   Though it's named after Guldin Nerifir, the town is one of the few that honors old Exilé traditions, electing representatives to do business with the lord of the castle and other nearby settlements.   This representative often runs the town, as the Lioneyes lords often do not concern themselves with local governing as much as they do diplomacy and politics across the kingdom. While the castle itself is luxurious, the region around it is barren, cold, and unforgiving. Thus, the lords of Lioneyes prefer to travel and deal with other lords in other lands, leaving the representatives of Guld and the castle steward in charge of the town and castle.